The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2030 Commitment is a voluntary program for AIA member firms and other entities in the built environment that asks these organizations to make a pledge, develop multi-year action plans, and implement steps that can advance AIA’s goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030. Architects are confronting the fact the buildings are the largest single contributor to the production of greenhouse gases and almost half of the total annual production.

“Because of their leadership role in the built environment, architects are in an ideal position to alter the construction industry’s actions,” said AIA Executive Vice President / CEO, Christine McEntee. “In order to reach our goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030, there is a crucial need for design experts to apply their experience, innovations and talents to current practices that will lead to significant reductions in the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production. To promote the regeneration of natural resources will require a multiple-year effort and we strongly encourage architecture firms nationwide to join us in this endeavor.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press release)Architecture PracticeThu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:07 +0000The American Institute of Architects and Mayor Newsom Partner to Select 'San Francisco's Greenest'http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/san-francisco-greenest/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/san-francisco-greenest/Buildings exemplify excellence in sustainable design principles and reduced energy consumption

To celebrate San Francisco, the host city of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2009 Convention, and its commitment to sustainable design, the AIA has partnered with Mayor Gavin Newsom to select San Francisco’s "greenest" buildings. The AIA San Francisco chapter and City representatives identified a cross-section of building types and uses that represent the diversity of green buildings in San Francisco. Mayor Newsom’s office will announce "San Francisco’s Greenest" today during a ceremony at the San Francisco Friends School, which is one of 10 buildings selected for the honor. On behalf of the Mayor’s office, John Rahaim, Director of the San Francisco Planning Department, will be joined by Catherine Hunter, Head of the San Francisco Friends School, and Christine McEntee, CEO of AIA.

]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press release)Architecture PracticeThu, 30 Apr 2009 10:16:13 +0000AIA - National Architecture Week Goes Virtualhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-national-architecture-week-goes-virtual/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-national-architecture-week-goes-virtual/
National Architecture Week, which this year falls on April 13-19, was created to encourage a public dialogue about architecture. Such conversations are especially pressing as communities across America discuss how best to invest the funds of the Economic Recovery Act. To accommodate this urgency, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is using social media to open and foster greater participation by the public and AIA members to employ design thinking to transform today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
]]>Architecture PracticeTue, 07 Apr 2009 14:09:44 +0000US: GBI® and AIA Team Up to Promote Sustainable Buildingshttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/gbi-aia-promote-sustainable-buildings/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/gbi-aia-promote-sustainable-buildings/The Green Building Initiative® (GBI) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to work together to promote the design and construction of energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings.

The agreement was recently signed by the GBI’s President, Ward Hubbell and the AIA’s EVP/CEO, Christine McEntee.

“We are happy to have this agreement in place,” said Ward Hubbell, President of the GBI. “The AIA’s support and expertise in the development of the Green Globes® Standard, through participation on the ANSI Technical Committee, has been invaluable. We look forward to continuing our work with them towards our shared goal of achieving widespread acceptance of sustainable design and construction practices.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (A. I.)Architecture PracticeThu, 26 Mar 2009 13:38:39 +0000US: Architecture Billings Index Continues to Point to Difficult Conditionshttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-difficult-conditions/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-difficult-conditions/Following another historic low score in January, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) was up two points in February. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February ABI rating was 35.3, up from the 33.3 mark in January, but still pointing to a general lack of demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry score was 49.5.
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (A. I.)Architecture PracticeWed, 18 Mar 2009 08:39:40 +0000